Study Reveals Surprising Role of Haze In the Warming of Chinese Cities

A new Yale-led study published in the journal Nature Communications sheds light on the surprising role that haze in China plays in promoting the urban heat island effect [UHI], a process whereby city centers tend to be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.

Scientists have always suspected that aerosol particles, or haze, played a role in amplifying UHI, said Xuhui Lee, the Sara Shallenberger Brown Professor of Meteorology at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies [F&ES] and senior author of the study. Now, they have evidence that in China — unlike the U.S. — haze is a significant driver of UHI.